One of the most complex issues in a Chicago divorce is that of maintenance (“alimony”). How much maintenance or alimony is paid? Is it paid temporarily or permanently?
If you are divorcing in Illinois, imagine you agree to pay your former spouse a fixed amount of maintenance so long as he or she [...]
“Family values” is a buzzword these days. We read about it in the newspapers and hear about it in political speeches and debates. From a Torah perspective, we applaud the espousal of these social values and national policies as they represent [...]
Bridal expos have long provided attendees with knowledge about what’s hot for the wedding process; but what’s out there for those dealing with the harrowing situation of divorce?
The “Start Over Smart” expo, the first divorce expo in the U.S., promises to put a friendly face on the process. The two-day event, [...]
In week six of Children of Divorce and Changing Families’ 8-week program, we do an exercise where we ask each child in the 10-12 year old group to create a set of rules that they wish their parents would follow to ease post divorce stresses.
The rules they write privately are then shared [...]
As we enter 2012, many of you will be filing for divorce. The question that I would like to pose is this: Are there steps you can take or resolutions you can make so you don’t go through a divorce, and so that you can have a healthier marriage in the coming [...]
Divorced parents who fail to fulfill their responsibilities to their children stand to lose guardianship under a proposed law that requires both the mother and father to share custody.
The Law Reform Commission in 2005 recommended that a law be introduced requiring divorced parents to share custody of their children in the [...]
Given the no-fault nature of most divorces, the issue of blame related to who caused the end of the marriage does not matter from a legal standpoint. However, during divorce proceedings, if one spouse has been unfaithful during the marriage, this information can affect the settlement outcome under certain conditions.
Extra-marital relationships [...]
With attention fully on the Vikings stadium issue, a bill that would change child custody proceedings for divorcing parents in Minnesota is quietly inching its way closer to the governor’s desk.
The latest version of HF322 would simply increase the presumed time each divorcing parent would get with his or her kids from [...]
In my almost 28 years on the bench — most of which I spent presiding over family matters in the Circuit Court of Lake County in Waukegan — I had a front-row seat for an amazing display of human nature. I met families in crisis, parents in stress, and children in trouble. They [...]
In today’s economic environment, it is a very difficult decision to opt for a divorce and end a dysfunctional relationship. Today there can be enough stress in people’s lives to make them hesitant to compound that problem by adding the stress of a divorce. However, there is a proven and slowly [...]
As working parents’ roles in the lives of their children evolve with the demands of the modern economy, so too do their parental rights as divorced parents.
Traditionally, a child’s custodial parent would be the primary residential parent and child support recipient and the non-custodial parent would pay child support and [...]
Myth: Mediation allows one spouse to dominate another.
Fact: A good mediator pays close attention to the power balance between the spouses and uses specific techniques to address any imbalance. If one spouse persists in dominating behavior, the mediator will call a stop to the mediation rather than allowing it to continue. One caveat: [...]
Divorce.
It’s right up there with death of a spouse for the most stressful life events we can experience. Yet just as you cannot escape the paperwork and financial issues after the death of a loved one, you can’t afford to ignore the financial aspects of a divorce, as you are setting [...]
